ON EXHIBITION @ The Centre Beaudesert

THE BLACK AND WHITE BRAID: Roads, People, and Stories of the Scenic Rim STORIES BY BENJAMIN ALLMON PHOTOGRAPHS BY CARIN GARLAND 6 APRIL - 21 MAY 2021   WHERE The Centre Beaudesert, 82 Brisbane Street, Beaudesert 4285 Gallery hours: Tues-Fri 10am-4pm; Sat 10am-2pm Closed public holidays  FREE ENTRY  |  ALL WELCOME   ENQUIRIES 5540 5050

Ben Allmon shares personal and local stories illustrated by spectacular photographs of Scenic Rim history by Carin Garland: these stories and photographs are from a unique perspective – walking along the roads of the region and recording the stories of both people and place.

SPECIAL BOOK LAUNCH PRICE - two weeks only: The Black & White Braid: Roads, People, and Stories of the Scenic Rim books will on sale at The Centre Beaudesert from 6-16 April for the special launch price of $70 each or $130 two-volume deal. After 16 April, the retail price will be RRP $75 each. Available during Gallery hours Tues-Fri 10am-4pm; Sat 10am-2pm | closed public holidays.  

The title 'The Black & White Braid' alludes to the intertwining of our region’s indigenous and non-indigenous people, the fact that we are all connected, not just by the black and white roads, but through history, through stories and through the place we share.

"I live on Macdonnell Road, which, as I was informed by a third-generation avocado farmer, was known as the 'Do-it-Yourself Road', due to the residents of Tamborine Mountain growing tired of waiting for a road to the coast to be constructed and taking matters into their own hands. The realisation that I can walk out my front door onto a piece of early settler history was the catalyst for the premise of these stories – to walk around the Scenic Rim, exploring the history of the place through the history of the roads, and more importantly, through the stories of the people that live along them".

"Roads are like stories, like people; one leads on to another". 

My road connects with my photographer’s – Wongawallan Rd - which gives us the chance to move from early settler history to the story of this fascinating Indigenous figure, and by extension the Wangerriburra people of Tamborine Mountain.  From there we could walk past Curtis Road, and a window into the pioneer history of this place, before the majesty of Main Western Road, and the view of the story before us – the Scenic Rim in its entirety, the layering of the mountain ranges one upon another. This layering is another element of the story, both the geological layering of lava flows that have shaped the Scenic Rim, but also the layering of people – from the Ugarapul, Mununjali and Wangerriburra people 40,000 years ago through to the first settlers, the wartime generations, the townsfolk, through to the modern residents. This has to be a story centred around people; how we make a place…and in turn how the place makes us", says Ben.

The Black & White Braid is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, and the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and the Scenic Rim Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

Other exhibitions on display during Artist's Journeys include Jean-Jacques Vaschalde Potter Craftsman: 40 Year Retrospective and Two Films by Felix Cehak

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Benjamin Allmon  Author, Freelance Journalist, Musician, Audio Engineer, Film Producer Ben has written three books; Foot Notes (Odyssey 2016), Mr Ordinary Dons a Disguise (Odyssey 2018), and The Saltwater Story (Cairn Tor 2018), the latter shortlisted as a Work of State Significance at the 2018 Queensland Literary Awards.  He produced the feature documentary The Saltwater Story and composed the bulk of its award-winning soundtrack.  A songwriter and audio engineer with over twenty years’ experience, he has released two albums.  A member of APRA, the ASA, the APA, and the QWC, he has written for numerous national and international publications.  He has one wife, one son, and two left feet.

Carin Garland Photographer A long-term resident of the Scenic Rim, Carin Garland is a professional photographer whose work has appeared on the cover of Pump Magazine, Scenic Road Magazine, and is the photographer for Outland Denim (and Outland Journal), amongst many others.  A strong sense of community governs her approach to her work, and she has done shoots with many local businesses to help them raise their profile. With a focus and passion for portraiture and place, her photography has taken her to the USA, Vietnam, Bali and New Zealand, as well as around Australia.